We do exactly the same job.
To me the idea of enjoying a job is an odd one: I don’t want to work, I only work because I need the money. If I had money I wouldn’t work.
I don’t know if this makes me the oddest person on earth, but where I am my coworkers sometimes make me feel so.
She asked me if I enjoy my job. I looked at her surprised while thinking to answer her with a regular blanket manager answer like ‘it is such a honor to work here, fuck yeah, I’d love to work here for free!’ or being completely sincere.
I was in a good mood, so I chose being sincere: ‘I don’t enjoy working, I work because I need to pay for the rest of my life, I enjoy cooking, writing poetry and walking through a forest.’
She looked at me a bit surprised and replied: ‘but you have to like your job.’ My answer? ‘As long as I earn money all’s good.’
This happened in a big room with like 9 coworkers hearing the convo.
Now I don’t know if I just committed job suicide where I work at, but it was liberating saying out loud at the workplace what I think a job is.
And why the fixation that you must like a job? It’s a job for fucks sake. Why do you have to like it?
To me this only confirms my current job is a cult. Am I exaggerating?
If every workplace is like this I should stick with the devil I know…
If I had infinite money and didn’t have to work, I still would, just less and with some different direction. I don’t think anyone thinks liking one’s job is required, but it’s obviously nice to not actively dislike a 3rd of your life if at all possible.
Same! I love laboring for my community. The community work I have done has been incredibly fulfilling and I wish I could make a living doing it. Labor is not a bad thing, I love to labor for those I care about. It just isn’t an option. Sitting idle sucks
Yeah I’m with you, sort of already in a way. I’m lucky enough to be able to work part-time and managed to (finally) get a job doing what I decided I wanted to do while in college. And it’s arts-related. So yes, I do enjoy my job. Do I enjoy working? I mean…. Not really, if I’m honest. But at the same time, it gives me an opportunity to better myself in certain ways that I wouldn’t get in my hobbies, and I do value that.
I think in a lot of cases people have not much choice but to continue working in their job. In order to not go insane in that situation, a lot of those people willingly maintain the self-deception that they do actually want to be there and it is good. It allows them the make the best of the situation and to bond with colleagues etc.
When someone openly undermines that shared illusion there is actually quite a lot at stake emotionally for those people, and they don’t like it.
I’ve hated all my jobs except for my current job. I moved back in with family and work at an animal shelter. Turns out it feels good to do something you passionate about. Unfortunately passion doesn’t usually pay well
Every job I have ever had is some % I don’t like and some % I enjoy. I am very fortunate that for a long time the % I don’t like is significantly less than the % I enjoy. The ratio has been 5/95.
Yes I enjoy my job.
Would I rather sit on the Bay, go out for a jet ski and not work, absolutely. I don’t want to sacrifice my life style to do that so I continue to work.
Are you exaggerating about your work place being a cult? I have no idea where you work but I suspect you are.
If every place is like this, I should stick with the devil I know.
That doesn’t make any sense. Why is this such a big deal to you. So what if your co-workers enjoy their work. That has nothing to do with you. As long as they are handling their work and not dumping shit on you than keep doing your work.
That doesn’t make any sense.
if what I described happens anywhere, why even change jobs?
Why is this such a big deal to you. So what if your co-workers enjoy their work. That has nothing to do with you.
because I feel this is a trap where I’m supposed to say that I love my job more than anything, because I think this is how managers search for the ones who only want a paycheck and to leave work stuff at the workplace, because I work to live, not live to work, because I only want to do my hours and enjoy my life away from my coworkers, because managers actively search for the ones who drink the kool-aid and believe they will get a promotion if they just try harder, because the ones who ‘enjoy’ their jobs are the ones happy to work for the manager for free, because the ones who ‘like’ their jobs are the ones less likely to establish boundaries (and enjoy being exploited).
Trying harder just means you get a pat on your back and a bigger shovel, not a raise.
I probably wouldn’t do my job as a hobby during my free time, but in general I like what I do for a living.
I never liked my jobs until I found one that I did. I work as a meat cutter (I cut primals into subprimals). It’s a job I could see myself doing even in a post revolutionary society. The people I work with are all pretty chill too. Mostly queer libs, which, is refreshing considering jobs I’ve previously had.
I obviously don’t like that my surplus value is being extracted, I don’t love that my manager is being forced to use an AI that allocates the amount of hours we all get each week (which is becoming less and less). But the actual labor? The actual task of cutting meat? I find it shockingly grounding. It just feels like I’m actually doing something someone benefits from.
Getting your needs met is unfortunately a luxury in the capitalist system. As long as my job feels necessary and my coworkers don’t totally suck I get by though. If my coworkers ever actually wanna do union activity they know I’m up for it, and if we ever hit a revolutionary situation, I’ll be down for that too.
I love my job. It’s stressful, it’s horrendously unevenly paced, but it brings joy and stuff to people.
Also, I have the nicest office :
Your coworker isn’t wrong if she can afford a choose in her job - yeah, you better like it, it’s so many hours of your time, so much mental space and energy.
The nicest office? Hell, I’d ask if I could move in!
Oh, we hire people all summers. Pay is Legal Minimum Wage. Must speak French and agree to move about 500 chairs a week.
Montrer aus américains, qui travaillent dans un bureau collectif sans âme, la beauté Européenne, est cruel
I once met a ranger in the Lassen Natural Park (North California). He was 100% into it on smoking holes and exotic strates and whatnot - also, he was adamant it was “the best job on Earth”.
The view from his office was nice, indeed.
All the fun has been sucked out of my industry and im there for a paycheck now. Sucks because i used to love it, but AI has made it a shitshow and completely unfun.
Liking your work, or at least not hating it, is rational. We’re forced to do this for most of the waking hours of most of our lifes. Kudos to your colleague for having a positive mindset.
I don’t mind my job and generally like the people I work with. I’d probably still do similar things if I didn’t need the money.
Sometimes I like teaching, sometimes I don’t. I think it’s usually a net positive, but since ChatGPT became a thing it’s becoming a bit of a burden. Either I’m worried about them cheating or I’m noticing each semester the students get worse at thinking for themselves, or both.
It’s a fairly open enrollment university so there’s a pretty low bar for base knowledge and scholarly ability but like… this is something else. I have successfully taught statistics to a 6th grade drop out single mom from Mexico through motivation and patience, but now a 19 year old fresh out of American high school fails the basic logic required of the course and argues when I give them an F over it. Something is very wrong lately and I’m hating it lately.
So I guess the answer is I used to love it and now loathe it? We’ll see next month…
I love my career, which took a very long time to develop.
Over the years I’ve had plenty of jobs I didn’t like, some I’d even say I hated.
Some helped develop my career, others were just solely for the paycheck, though I’d like to think I learned something at each.
Been at my current company for about six years, and I have to say, I love it.
It’s a company I respect, making products I believe in, and my role gives me the freedom to do projects the way I want, with the technology I want.
I like the people I work with, and I can honestly say I’ve not once woken up with that dread of '“Crap, I have to go to work”.
The company, my chain of command, and the people who use my systems, all appreciate the work I do.
Now, would I do it for free? Hell no, those are hobbies.
My only real answer as to why you should like your job, I know love is a stretch for most people, is that a job you enjoy doesn’t leave you as stressed and burned out as one you don’t.
Whether you like the job or not affects how well you interact with your coworkers and managers. It depends on the team’s environment, though. Sometimes everyone gets along BECAUSE they all agree the work sucks.
There are jobs i like, but I cant afford to work those jobs.
Affording a job… what a joke of a economic system.
I have the benefit to currently beeing paid to do what I love. My dream is to find a job that continous that, but with my experience in the job market, options look bleek.
But, different people have different experiences and perceive the world different. Maybe your coworker honestly likes the job, good for them. Maybe they are just braindead with a working body, able to persue tasks, who cares. You do you and as long no one bothers you keep doing as you like. Your perspective is as valid as mine. And If I end up in a simmiliar scenario, I prolly have the same thought.
